New Delhi: Ahead of the Women’s T20 World Cup in England and Wales, Indian skipper Harman Preet Kaur She has received a timely boost, returning to the top 10 of the ICC Women’s T20I batting rankings after her match-winning performance against England.The International Cricket Council (ICC) released the latest women’s rankings on Tuesday, with Harmanpreet moving up one place to return to the list of elite top 10 batsmen. The Indian captain’s rise to prominence followed his unbeaten half-century in the series decider against England at Taunton, an innings that underlined his importance as India’s most experienced batsman at the global event. The rankings update comes at a turning point for India, with Harmanpreet expected to play a key role in their World Cup campaign. His return to the top 10 is a reward for recent consistency and gives India more confidence ahead of the marquee tournament.Australia’s top-ranked batting duo Georgia Wool and Beth Mooney occupy the first and second positions respectively and will enter the T20 World Cup as the highest-ranked batsmen in the format.Meanwhile, New Zealand star Millie Kerr has regained the No. 1 position in the ICC Women’s T20I All-rounders rankings, overtaking West Indies captain Hayley Mathews.Kerr returned to the summit after Mathews lost to the West Indies in the final of the recent tri-series in Ireland. However, the battle for the top spot is fierce, with Kerr holding a slim lead of just five rating points over Matthews ahead of the World Cup, which starts on June 12.Elsewhere there was a significant gain in the batting rankings. England’s Alice Kepsey jumped 13 places to 30th after her player-of-the-match performance in the series decider, where she scored a brilliant 82 runs. Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana climbed two places to 18th, while England veteran Heather Knight moved up four places to 21st.In the bowling rankings, England spinner Lynsey Smith remains at the No. 1 position, just ahead of Pakistan’s Sadia Iqbal. England’s Lauren Bell finished second, while teammate Charlie Dean finished fourth. South African spinner Nonkoliko Malaba also benefited, moving up to fifth position.Among the all-rounders, Kerr and Mathews move up the field while Scotland captain Catherine Bryce moves up nine places to 17th after impressive performances during the recent tri-series involving Bangladesh and the Netherlands.
